


Not a Good Fit

by crackspines



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 17:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21019610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crackspines/pseuds/crackspines
Summary: A couple months after Bruce adopts Jason, the boy has his first class trip to Wayne Enterprises, the last place Jason wants to go. The new Robin is convinced that while Batman may need him, Bruce Wayne needs the embarrassment of a street-rat son like he needs a hole in the head. To Jason's horror, Bruce shows up for the tour.





	Not a Good Fit

Jason Todd, twelve-year-old street rat, robin, and Gotham Academy student, kicked at the ground with each step towards the sleek Charter Bus, scuffing the Wayne’s expensive shoes against uncracked cement. He knew he should probably be a little nicer to the shoes Alfred bought him; they probably cost more than rent at his old apartment. But he wasn’t feeling too charitable towards the shoes that didn’t feel like his or Alfred at the moment. 

“Can’t I skip today?” Jason had asked this morning, a hint of whine entering his voice. “Just this once. I could help you with the roses.” 

Jason didn’t give a shit about the roses. They were a snobby, rich person flower. 

“The roses will still be here when you get back from your quality education, Master Jason,” the older man had said, shrewd eyes boring into the newest addition to the manor. “You wouldn’t want to miss your class school trip.” 

Once on the lavish bus, Jason raced to the back where there was one single-seat instead of the duos throughout the rest of the vehicle. He sunk into the buttery leather, pulling a library book from his bag immediately. He didn’t want any of these rich brats to get the idea that he wanted to talk to him. 

He shouldn’t have worried. Just like every day since he joined the school last month, the Gotham Academy kids were more interested in talking about him than talking to him. A couple of girls a couple rows ahead of him glanced his way and then turned back to each other in a fit of giggles. He felt like he should be charging admission to see the poor kid in captivity. 

“Okay, class,” Mrs. Epstein said from the front of the bus over the chattering students. “We’ll be pulling up to the front of Wayne Enterprises in twenty minutes. I’ll need everyone to get off the bus quickly and line up in single file. Let’s not block traffic.” 

Twenty minutes flew by, and Jason spent the entire time reading the same paragraph over and over again. By the time the bus stopped, he still didn’t know what sentences were trying to say. 

As his classmates flowed off the bus, staring up at the sleek, sky-high expanse of WE, Jason’s heart-rate sped up. His palms were damp, and he rubbed them furiously against his ironed khaki pants. 

This was ridiculous. He jumped off building routinely, tangled with the worst Gotham had to offer. A trip to WE with his class shouldn’t even be a blip on his radar. 

Besides, the likelihood of running into Bruce was slim to none. His office wasn’t anywhere near Research & Development. 

The WE tour guide didn’t give Bruce Wayne’s newest charity cases a second glance, and Jason wished he could say the same of his classmates. The deeper they got into the building, the more classmates he caught stealing glances at him, mouths turned up at the sides. 

Digging his hands deeper into his pockets, Jason tried to appear very interested in the shoes he hated. Despite his training as Robin, he couldn’t manage to keep a slight flush out of his cheek, which just confirmed what all the kids were thinking: he didn’t belong here. 

The class walked into the R&D lab, suitably impressed by the sprawling space and all the futuristic tech littering the room. The ceilings went up at least thirty feet, though Jason, still staring down, couldn’t appreciate that. 

“Hello,” a terrifyingly familiar voice said. “You must be Mrs. Epstein.” 

Jason stiffened so quickly, he felt a twinge in his ribs from where Killer Croc had thrown him against a brick wall last week. This wasn’t happening. He would’ve fought Alfred tooth and nail if he thought there was even the smallest chance Bruce would show up. 

What the hell was he doing here?

Suddenly, staring at his shoes wasn’t just to avoid his classmates; it was survival. If he looked up, he’d have to see the expression on Bruce’s face, and he really couldn’t bear it. 

There was a reason in the two months since Bruce had adopted him, he hadn’t taken Jason to WE or showed up at Gotham Academy. Batman might need a Robin with the Dick Wonder gone, but Bruce Wayne didn’t need some kid from Crime Alley bringing down stock values. 

Dick fit in Bruce’s life; Jason didn’t fit anywhere anymore. 

“--know you were going to make an appearance, Mr. Wayne,” Mrs. Epstein said, delighted. 

Bruce, clad in a multi-thousand dollar suit, walked over to Jason’s side, ruffling his hair before throwing a large, comforting arm around the boy. Jason had to look up then, searching Bruce’s face while he answered the teacher. 

“It’s been a busy couple of months, Karen,” Bruce said easily. “This is actually Jason’s first trip to WE. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

He turned to look at Jason then, smiling broadly and not moving his arm, even under the scrutiny of Jason’s high-society classmates. As hard as Jason looked, pulling on all of his Robin training, he couldn’t find any embarrassment, anger, or regret in Bruce’s face. 

“How about a VIP tour, kids?” Bruce asked, nodding over to one of WE’s new projects: stealth flying technology that would make everything else on the market obsolete. 

The students, despite themselves, moved over to the futuristic drone with unconcealed interest. Bruce, however, brought their attention back to him with his next words. 

“Jason knows just as much about this project as I do.” Turning to his newly adopted son, he said, “Why don’t you tell your classmates about what we’re working on here?” 

Everyone’s attention turned to the boy, and a sweat broke out on the back of his neck. Unlike before, the gazes weren’t smug or malicious, though quite a few of them were shocked by this turn of events. 

Taking a deep breath, Jason started to talk about stealth technology. He was a little awkward at first, halting and tripping over his words. But once he got into it, he realized Bruce was right. He did know a lot about this project and a few more at R&D. 

He took his classmates around, introducing the ones he was familiar with. At the end of the tour, he finally looked up at Bruce, who hadn’t left his side the whole time. The older man was practically beaming, and he squeezed Jason’s shoulder. The move left the boy with a funny, warm sensation he couldn’t remember if he’d ever felt before. 

After signing him out with Mrs. Epstein, Bruce turned to his son while the other kids piled on the bus. “I hope you don’t mind me showing up for your field trip.” 

Jason scuffed his shoes lightly against the ground, the movement no longer angry and anxious. “It’s fine.”

“Why don’t we stop at that Chinese place you showed me on the way home?” Bruce said as they headed towards the parking complex. “It’s growing on me.” 

“I can’t believe you’d never had it before,” the boy said. “Best in Gotham.” 

“I guess it’s a good thing my kid is such a takeout connoisseur,” Bruce said with a laugh. 

Jason had to smile at that, the warm feeling from earlier taking over his whole body. 

And for the first time in what felt like years, Jason felt like maybe he could belong in Bruce’s life. Maybe it’d just take a little more time for the fit to feel right.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to look me up on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/crackspines.


End file.
